


Fa Melinda May

by hollydermovoi



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Mulan - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Melinda is Phil's bro, Relationships aren't really important
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-30
Updated: 2015-02-06
Packaged: 2018-03-04 08:00:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3020489
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hollydermovoi/pseuds/hollydermovoi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt from herpderpdoctor: Agents of SHIELD AU where everything is the same, except Melinda May is Fa Mulan and Mushu is still tagging along because Mushu</p><p>In which May is badass as always and has a guardian dragon whose annoyance factor is something Disney may in fact have <i>under</i> estimated, if anything.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm using Google translate, so if you notice something wrong with the language, please let me know

**Then**  
Hua Mulan had stood in front of the General and did not flinch, did not squirm, did not speak, simply stood and looked straight ahead as Tānlán de xīyì had told her to do.

 _He doesn't know_ Tānlán de xīyì had whispered to her in the shrine. _None of them will know. And **everyone** will respect you for who you are. Your name will live on forever._ A shiver had gone down her spine at his words. She, with her work calloused hands, her muscled arms and her tangled hair- she wasn't pale and slim, with dainty feet and smooth hands. Who'd respect her for this when they hadn't respected her for her honest work before?

"What's your name soldier?" asked the General.

She didn't know how to answer that. 

"Are you willing to fight?" he asked, seemingly unbothered by her lack of an answer.

 _To die?_ Tānlán de xīyì had asked last night and she answered the same then as she did now.

"Yes."

 **Slightly closer to now**  
Melinda May, as she was called these days, stood in front of a different General some centuries later and did not squirm, did not speak, simply stood and looked straight ahead as Tānlán de xīyì had once told her to do. Oh, he was still with her, still Tānlán, but she hardly needed _him_ to tell her how to face General's anymore. They had, after all, been doing this for quite some time.

When she had agreed to lead China to victory, not because _she_ wanted fame, but rather because _Tānlán_ had, and she'd needed him to save her father from going to a war that would've killed him, she'd never expected _this_. She'd been remembered all right, inspired other Nǚ zhànshì and gone on to be incapable of dying whilst having Tānlán stay attached to her the _entire_ time.

Fun.

Anyways, here she was, standing in front of a new general who apparently as trying to recruit her for something. Tānlán hadn't said anything about this man- one Nicolas Fury- having a cause worthy of their particular brand of commitment, but he hadn't said it was unimportant either, so she let him have his say.

She was not, however, paying very close attention, mainly because his motives didn't seem as pure as his speech tried to make them. And then she saw him. A white male, already balding and the steel in his eyes was the same steel she remembered in her own. This was a man who was determined to do what was right by any means necessary, and that was the sort of man who was worthy of commitment.

"I'll join." she says, cutting Fury off. "On one condition- I work with him, or I work with teams of my choosing."

The man smiled at her, and said simply "Welcome to SHIELD."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Melinda meets Barton

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no clue if this chapter is remotely historically accurate. I suspect it is not.
> 
> Sorry
> 
> Also, according to Google, Cong is a Chinese name meaning very intelligent. I had to call her something.  
> @TabbyStar for correctly guessing why Tānlán is with her at all time- he takes the appearance of a tattoo

**Then**

She'd done fairly well at training. She could carry more weight than some of the other men, and she taught them all how to sew, so they could make repairs to their clothing. Some had scoffed at her knowing woman's work, but after she explained that there'd be no woman coming to war with them, and that they needed to learn all they could to keep themselves alive and comfortable, they'd left her alone, for the most part.

The General watched her still. She wasn't sure why.

 _It's because for a man, you are very beautiful. He's either making sure none of his men proposition you, or is trying to figure out if you'd welcome his advances._ Tānlán de xīyì muttered grumpily. She shuddered at the thought, laying her hand on her chest, where his hand rested. If any man were to discover her secret, she'd be killed, and her family would be disgraced.

"Cong," came the voice of the archery instructor "Are you all right?"

She blinked for a second and then realized she'd been rubbing Tānlán's head subconsciously.

"Yes, honorable instructor." she answered. "My string simply snapped against my skin- I am trying to relieve the sting."

The archery instructor was a grim man who rarely smiled, but he nodded at her and then turned to yell at the other recruits who were no longer practicing, but gawping at her. She felt her cheeks redden, and she lifted her bow, trying to force her muscles to take the shape of the instructors as she drew the string towards her ear.

_Just do what I tell you, _said Tānlán. _And no one will ever touch you without your permission._ __

**Even closer to now**

She was staring at the prisoner Phil had brought in assessingly. He is very young she thought sadly, taking in wide eyes and unkempt hair.

 _He's been hurt,_ rumbled Tānlán angrily. _But he has potential. We treat him right, he will flourish. And he will be as loyal to Phil as we are._

__As much as Tānlán annoyed her at times, he was a very good judge of character. So she went to find some food._ _

__*_ _

__She waited until Fury was in the middle of screaming at the kid to make her entrance. Ignoring his indignant sputtering, she put the plate of warm dumplings in front of the kid and sat in the chair next to him. She ignored the way he flinched away from her with those blue gray eyes fixed upon the food and took a bite of her own dumpling._ _

__"Phil had me bring it." she said, and caught Phil's genuinely confused eye brow twitch. "I'm Melinda May. Want to see my tattoo?"_ _

__Not waiting for a verbal answer, she pushed the plate in his direction again, and rolled up her left sleeve so that Tānlán could see._ _

__"Cool!" mumbled the kid around a dumpling "You must really like _Mulan_ to get a Mushu tattoo."_ _

__For a second, all her mind was filled with was _He knows._ Then her mind processed the rest of his sentence and she felt the corners of her mouth twitch upwards._ _

__"Never seen it." She admits. "You'll have to show me sometime- after training maybe? Don't worry, I'll feed you up first." She gets up, noting that Fury now looks resigned, and Phil simply looks intrigued. As she exits, she says over her shoulder "I'll make sure you get a bow, too."_ _

__She calls Tānlán Mushu from that day forward._ _


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which May spends time with Barton

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know _why_ exactly italics stopped working in the last chapter. Just guess at the stressing I suppose.

**Then**  
One day, when their troops were surrounded by enemies, the General died, the enemies spear through his throat.

There wasn't enough time to grieve, too many men fell that day, and she had to keep fighting in order to survive. With a roar, she swung her sword and rallied the men. What followed was 10 long minutes of death and chaos as they took down the enemy. After the battle, _she_ was named General in his place for her sheer efficiency in battle, and when she was, she almost threw up.

She didn't know it yet, but becoming General was merely another cobblestone in her path to immortality. One thing had not changed since the day she'd been told she was the best recruit they had- she never became comfortable in being recognized for her efficiency in killing people. From this, and further experience, she learned something important- those who did relish praise for efficient killing, they were to be avoided at all cost.

**Close-ish to now**

She watched as Barton fired shot after impossible shot, hitting every bullseye in the hardest course SHIELD had to offer in the archery training range. He actually looked _bored._ And he was still, despite the consistent meals and snacks, frighteningly skinny.

 _They're working him too hard._ Mushu rumbled. SHIELD had been "assessing" Barton's skills for a good week, and it was getting to the point of ridiculousness. It was time for them to take over. 

"Barton." she called out, and didn't bother finding her smirk when everyone but him startled a little, having failed to notice her presence. _He's got good eyes,_ said Mushu, almost approvingly, and she let her shock and amusement wash over him. It wasn't often that Mushu surprised her these days, but approval of a man they'd met once? That was certainly rare. "You're coming with me." Fully expecting his cooperation, she turned and headed towards the door. She heard two more twangs from his bows and a lot of grumbling from the agents who'd been "assessing" him. She ignored them and kept walking until she reached her quarters. She turned, and was unsurprised to find Barton right behind her, standing at parade rest, a sign of respect she _knew_ he hadn't shown anyone else. 

"Ma'am," said Barton respectfully. "Where are we?"

She let herself smile at him, and could feel Mushu tense in eager anticipation. "These are my quarters. We're going to eat, watch _Mulan_ and then we'll figure out a care training regime for you. Understood?" They waited, because whatever the future held, it balanced on this moment.

Barton looked confused for a minute, but then smiled tentatively. She mentally sighed in relief, because she knew his acceptance was definitely her preferred response. She _could_ order him to listen to her, but something told her that such an action would not have a good outcome. "Yes ma'am." he replied, and they turned to enter her quarters.

And for the first time in centuries, Melinda May made a friend.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Why has May lasted so long?
> 
> There's a brief mention of self harm in this chapter. And just remember, May's immortal, so she's had to have gone through some shit that would phase even her.

**Then**  
After the war, after her marriage to the man who'd been at her side since she'd become General, the only one who'd remained loyal after the reveal of her gender, she discovered something.

Something dark, that made Tānlán rumble with a satisfaction that scared her.

She discovered strength. Strength that coiled like Tānlán did around her ribs (as he had during the war) and _squeezed_.

Strength, that as it turned out, was more than enough to shatter boulders. She stared at the rubble around her and felt a little sick.

"Tānlán," she whispered. "What did you _do?_ "

Her skin _burned_ and suddenly, Tānlán stood in front of her, as he'd once done in the temple. 

Except now, he was bigger. _Much_ bigger. And even though Mulan had faced down Huns, had watched her General die, had met the Emperor and survived, she shrank away.

Tānlán was a _dragon_ , for all that she called him a xīyì, and dragons were dangerous.

Almost as if he heard her, his mouth curled into a grin. "I must say girl," he purred, smug and self satisfied. "When I offered to help you get through the war, I never actually expected you to _get_ through the war. I fully expected to feast on your energy until some lucky Hun killed you. I never expected the depth of commitment and passion hidden behind those watery eyes. By all accounts, you should have withered like the Hua you were. But now? Did you think us to be _done_ girl?" He chuckled cruely as she recoiled away from him, smoke curling out of his nostrils. "No girl, we will _never_ be done. We are going to take each other places. So enjoy your husband while you can. Because someday, when he, and your children, and your children's children are all gone, you'll still have me. I've given you a _gift_ girl- I've shared my essence with you. Now, you will live as dragons do." He grinned once more, and was suddenly part of her skin again. _Forever_ , he finished, nuzzling his head agaisnt her breast almost _affectionately_.

She shuddered at the thought and ran back to her home and husband.

*  
Later, she used a knife and tried to gauge him out. Needless to say, it didn't work, and the scars lingered for a couple of centuries before Tānlán let them fade.  
*  
Almost fourty years later, she slays a hundred bandits single handedly when they ransack the town she's visiting for her daughter's wedding. The current Emperor smiles don't reach his eyes, and he has her imprisoned. She ends up not being there for her husband's death, or the birth of her first (or last) grandchild. The only company she has is Tānlán, who whispers to her of the outside world sympathetically. To this day, she has no clue if his tales were true or not, but she likes to believe they are, for they're nice in their realness. 

That Emperor's great grandson is the one who lets her out. She wins him another war and then flees, refusing to be imprisoned again, or used as a weapon in some worthless war whose cause she doesn't believe in. She doesn't stop running until she's in a new country altogether. And though it's language and customs were as foreign to her as the art of war had once been, she was content.

*  
Only _once_ in her many, many years did she almost lose Tānlán. It was not an experience she _ever_ wanted to repeat.

It all started because she'd missed Japan. So she and Tānlán had gone, despite the fact that Tānlán had been uneasy the entire time, grumbling about a cosmic imbalance. But Tānlán was a bit of a whiny about anything that didn't go his way, so she ignored him.

She'd somehow live to regret that.

Anyways, it came to pass that instead of jumping into the ocean and swimming anywhere else when travel was prohibited, she decided to hunker down and wait out the war in Hiroshima.

Yes, _that_ Hiroshima. And she was certainly there on August 9th, 1945. She'd been sleeping, when her skin started to burn, and she'd woken up to find Tānlán above her, growing and coiling around her, desperate to protect them from the doom his celestial senses told him were coming.

But even he was not enough.

One second he was there, and the next they were being shredded apart and she could feel every atom of her being shreded and reformed in horrific pulsating agony.

Three weeks later, she managed to claw her way out of the rubble, sobbing, clutching a small, limp dragon to her chest. If someone were to take a picture, it'd be of a woman whose eye shape made her fit in with the locals, dirt, blood and tear soaked, one hand shaking, reaching out beseechingly for the hand of a Death that would not come. It would miss the way her wounds stretched and thinned at turns, how the dragon's chest barely moved and how the woman seemed to glow faintly.

She would never return to Japan.

**Author's Note:**

> Tānlán de xīyì- Greedy lizard in Traditional Chinese. I figure she's just tired enough of his shit that she calls him this just to annoy him. But she will eventually switch to Mushu   
> Nǚ zhànshì- Female warriors
> 
> Whoever can guess how Tānlán stays with her at all times gets a chapter!


End file.
